Residents are returning to Mushrif Central Park, which reopened its doors this week after a six-week summer shutdown. The visitor destination, located at the corner of 15th and 24th streets in the capital, was closed throughout August and the beginning of this month while upgrades were made to its infrastructure. On Wednesday afternoon, visitors braved the heat and humidity to explore the park’s latest offerings. Ahmed Mubeen, visiting for the first time with his wife, said he was impressed with the amenities such as prayer rooms and cafe, as well as the “affordable” Dh5 entry fee. “It’s a nice place…

Rapid urbanisation should be tempered to make sure the character of an area does not lose its identity, said Emirati residents in Al Qusais. Sandwiched between an industrial estate and Dubai International Airport, residents of the community have seen their neighbourhood become the backdrop to the city’s transformation into a global destination. Al Qusais is one of the emirate’s oldest and largest communities, made up of villas interspersed with the occasional grocery store. As polling day for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections draws closer, many Emiratis said they felt torn between the need for better local amenities while keeping…

Al Zorah Development Company, a joint partnership between the Government of Ajman and Solidere International, unveiled two new communities with a development value of $408m (AED1.5bn), within its self-sustained 5.4 million sqm development, at Cityscape Global. The Golf Estates gated community is a combination of villas, townhouses and apartments set on the 18-hole Nicklaus Design Golf Course within The Fairways district while the Al Zorah Beach Residences comprises chalet-style villas and apartments in The Shores district, in what will be the country’s first residential property on the beach right next to a golf course. Imad Dana, CEO of Al Zorah…

Dubai residents and their private gardening service providers are being notified of hefty fines for improper dumping of their garden waste. Master developer Emaar has initiated a campaign to inform residents of its Emirates Living communities (Springs, Lakes and Meadows) about the penalties that can be levied in case their garden’s waste isn’t disposed of in compliance with the community regulations. In circulars/pamphlets sent to all residents, Emaar Community Management (ECM) reiterated its code of conduct for landscaping companies, which warns that if garden waste is left on pavements, sikkas or in the common areas, violators will be fined Dh5,000…

The eco retreat which is located in Liwa, in southern region of UAE, is designed to be in harmony with the pristine and untouched desert-scape. The retreat is completely energy self-sufficient, using solar panels, it generates and stores clean power in several battery units. Other features include smart glass windows to offer instant privacy at the flick of a switch, an indoor herb garden, and a central fire place for social bonding which was a key part of the Bedouin heritage. Staying inside the eco-retreat, in the heart of a beautiful desert, is a rejuvenating experience. The retreat will…

The Abu Dhabi City Municipality has announced the release of a public tender for developing, investing and managing Sharia Park in Abu Dhabi, with the deadline for submitting bids set at Tuesday, 29 September, 2015. Sharia Park will be located beside Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Highway (E11) between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, at the intersection with Al Ajban Street (E16) near Al Rahba city, Abu Dhabi. According to state news agency WAM, Sharia Park will be constructed in collaboration with the private sector, wherein developers will undertake the funding and developing of the project, as against availing the rights of benefiting…

Abu Dhabi Municipality is carrying out improvements to public parks along Khaleej Al Arabi Street. The upgrades are part of a larger plan to build 130 parks across the capital over the next two years. So far, development works on a number of parks have been completed, Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National reported. Article Source

A range of parks are currently under construction and expected to boost the outdoor leisure scene of Dubai over the next two years. One of the fewer known is the Palms Park, a palm-shaped park dedicated to the symbol of local tree in the UAE. Located in Al Aweer, Palms Park is a 10.8 hectare area containing over 1,400 palm trees. The crops of 300 different kinds of dates will be on sale in ‘Date Souq’, and the palm waste will be used in making handicrafts related to the local heritage. At a cost of Dh21.3 million, the park…

On Monday, Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning proposed recommendations for the creation of 55 new parks as well as encouraging more petrols stations to be built in support of the growing population. Mohammed Ali Al Khoury, director of the ministry’s Public Parks Department, was quoted in the Peninsula newspaper as saying that a study was underway to establish new parks to meet public demand, and that two new parks, in Umm Salal and al Wakrah, will open in the coming months. Fifteen were opened last year, he added, and said the ministry was working with Qatar’s Supreme…